We are blessed that there have been no reports of COVID-19 at Temple Sha’arey Shalom. Best practice and recommendations from the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control is to take preventative measures such as avoiding being exposed to the virus that causes it and to limit social gatherings.

As such, The Temple will “close” for services, religious school, preschool, and social gatherings from 3:00p.m. Friday, March 13, 2020 through at least 9:00am Monday, March 30, 2020. This includes the Tricky Tray which will be rescheduled for a later date.

During the closure, the Temple will be fully cleaned and sanitized. If you have a special circumstance, you may consult with the Rabbi or the Presidents. For now, one-to-one meetings (such as for Bar/Bat Mitzvah prep) or small group meetings may continue assuming all involved show no signs of illness and are in agreement to meet.

We are taking this action because “…Community-based interventions can help slow the spread of COVID-19. This includes measures collectively known as “social distancing.” Social distancing measures aim to reduce the frequency of contact and increase physical distance between persons, thereby reducing the risks of person-to-person transmission. These measures are most effective when implemented early in an epidemic. We are at a critical inflection point where we may have the opportunity to slow the spread of this epidemic by taking proactive steps now.” (source: Health and Human Services, March 12, 2020).